Zhu Di was a little unhappy.
Because Wang Ning's move was tantamount to forcing him to express his position.
It is true that Zhu Di did not like his eldest son Zhu Gaochi, because this son was born fat and sickly, and he did not look like a human being. Therefore, Zhu Di preferred his second son Zhu Gaoxu, who was brave and good at fighting and had great military achievements, and he saw himself in the second son Zhu Gaochi. shadow.
All fathers in the world like sons who are most like themselves, even Zhu Di is no exception.
But the only problem is that Zhu Gaoxu is the second child, not the boss!
The eldest son inherits the family business. This is a rule set by the ancestors for thousands of years.
In particular, Emperor Taizu Gao also set the ancestral motto, "When a country is established as a heir, etiquette must be based on the eldest son, and the foundation of the world is the foundation of the world."
The eldest son succession system stipulated by Emperor Taizu Gao is sixteen words: if there is a direct eldest son, there is no direct eldest son. After the death of the father, the son succeeds, and the elder brother succeeds to the younger brother.
Zhu Di's eldest son is undoubtedly Zhu Gaochi, and he is also his eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji.
Therefore, it is simply impossible for the second oldest Zhu Gaoxu to ascend to the throne. There are still two successors lined up in front of him!
Because of this, Zhu Di sighed sadly more than once. It would be great if Zhu Gaoxu was the boss. Why would he need to be so distressed?
Therefore, after Zhu Di ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he never allowed these two sons to enter Beijing.
As Li Hongbi speculated, Zhu Di was suppressing the eldest brother Zhu Gaochi and giving the second eldest brother Zhu Gaoxu a chance.
The longer the delay is, the more disadvantageous it will be for the boss, but the more beneficial it will be for the second child.
As long as the second child has made any outstanding achievements, Zhu Di can use this to send out political signals and express his attitude to the courtiers, thereby adding fuel to the flames and appointing Zhu Gaoxu as the crown prince!
Now, it seems that the opportunity has come.
Although Wang Ning's sudden proposal made Zhu Di slightly unhappy, Zhu Di also wanted to take this opportunity to test the attitude of the courtiers.
He wanted to see who in the court supported the eldest son and who supported the second eldest son.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that His Royal Highness the Second Prince has a very good reputation among the people, and he is the legitimate son of His Majesty the Emperor. If he can patrol the borders on His Majesty's behalf, it will naturally show the emperor's kindness and love for the people. Therefore, I think His Highness the Second Prince is undoubtedly the most popular one. The perfect choice!"
Wang Ning seized the opportunity and directly recommended the second prince Zhu Gaoxu.
That's right, the prince he secretly befriended and supported was none other than Zhu Gaoxu!
Because Wang Ning was highly favored by Zhu Di and was an out-and-out celebrity in the imperial court, even when Zhu Gaoxu was far away in Kaiping, he often ordered people to visit him with generous gifts, and every gift was generous during the holidays.
On the other hand, the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi has been guarding Peiping, and he is very cautious for fear of doing something wrong and attracting reprimand from His Majesty the Emperor, so he will naturally fall behind.
Moreover, Wang Ning was Zhu Di's confidant after all, so he naturally guessed that Zhu Di's heart was for the second prince Zhu Gaoxu.
In this way, the two parties can be said to be "like each other", and Wang Ning has become a die-hard second prince's party.
But the courtiers didn’t know that!
This Wang Ning actually supports the second prince!
And he openly stated that he wanted to support the second prince to ascend to the throne!
What a courageous dog!
However, when the ministers looked at Zhu Di, they were instantly frightened and shivers ran down their spines.
Because His Majesty the Emperor showed no signs of surprise, as if he had known about it for a long time!
So since he knew it, why did he let Wang Ning speak?
Is it possible to say...
The rumors are actually true!
The eldest prince is in danger!
For a moment, many courtiers felt chills running down their spines, and a chill rose in their hearts.
Although they could not be said to be members of the eldest prince's party, they had heard about the lives of these two princes for a long time, and naturally they were interested in the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi.
The eldest prince is so good, he is gentle, generous, kind, friendly to others, and he has read articles from sages, so he is a perfect candidate for the crown prince.
As for Zhu Gaoxu, that embryo-killing warrior, such a cruel and cruel beast who regards human life as nothing but grass, is he worthy of entering the East Palace and becoming the crown prince?
No civil servant and gentry with a normal mind would support Zhu Gaoxu.
So, someone spoke up.
This person is wearing a crimson robe and Yunyan uniform. He is Xie Jin, a die-hard supporter of the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi and a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion.
"What Yongchun Hou said is wrong!"
"When it comes to status, the eldest prince, as His Majesty's eldest son, can undoubtedly represent His Majesty better!"
"Speaking of reputation, I wonder where Marquis Yongchun heard that the second prince has a very good reputation among the people? Does Marquis Yongchun think that the civil and military officials of this dynasty have no brains? You can confuse right and wrong with just a touch of your words?"
Shock!
Jie Jin just showed his face and opened up!
He has always been proud of his talents and is quite arrogant.
Wang Ning blushed at his words, but could not refute them.
Because what Xie Jin said was true, Zhu Gaoxu had no reputation at all. Instead, he was notorious and full of evildoers!
Everyone in the civil and military circles of the dynasty knew that Zhu Gaoxu was not a good person since he was a child. He was cunning and cruel by nature.
In the past, when he was studying in Jinling with a group of emperors and grandsons, he was arrogant and domineering and bullied others. Emperor Taizu Gao reprimanded him many times and disliked this grandson very much.
Later, Emperor Jianwen succeeded to the throne, and Zhu Gaoxu and his brother Zhu Gaochi went to the court to attend the funeral together.
When his uncle Xu Huizu saw that he was idle and misbehaving, he secretly warned him. Zhu Gaojiu not only refused to listen, but also stole Xu Huizu's beloved BMW, left his brother and fled across the river alone to Peiping.
On his way home, Zhu Gaoxu often killed officials and civilians without any reason, and also killed Yi Cheng in Zhuozhou. The courtiers blamed Zhu Di, King of Yan, for this.
To sum up, this Zhu Gaoxu is just a beast, the kind that people hate dogs!
Why the hell do you, Wang Ning, have the nerve to say that Zhu Gaoxu has a good reputation among the people? You are really shameless!
In order to be the minister of obedience to the dragon, do you even have to give up the bottom line of your conscience?
Although Xie Jin's words were not violent, they were extremely lethal and successfully awakened the memories in the minds of the courtiers.
Huang Huai, editor of the Hanlin Academy, also came out to support Xie Jin.
"Your Majesty, what Master Xie said is absolutely true, the eldest prince is the best candidate!"
Immediately afterwards, Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, and Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Hubu, also stood up one after another.
"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"
Two ministers in succession expressed their support for the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi.
Seeing this situation, Qiu Fu couldn't sit still.
Although he was a little angry at Wang Ning's risky move, he couldn't back down at this point.
Both sides have made their cards clear, and His Majesty the Emperor has also made his intentions clear. So why are you coercing? The final word is final!
"Hahaha... what a big joke!"
"Where were you bitches when the Second Prince was following His Majesty on the battlefield?"
"Now you have the nerve to jump out and accuse the second prince of his faults. How can you have the nerve to say such things?"
Qiu Fu was a military minister with a straightforward temperament, and he was the type to scold his mother.
But he wasn't stupid either. He directly mentioned Zhu Gaoxu's illustrious military exploits. This was an outstanding achievement that no one could erase!
Zhu Gaoxu's military exploits were real, and he was accomplished at the risk of his life!
The second prince even saved the life of His Majesty the Emperor in times of crisis, so much so that Zhu Di said that wise saying!
As expected, the two sides started arguing fiercely again.
Only this time, more courtiers participated.
The military officials headed by Qiu Fu and Wang Ning, and the civil servants headed by Xie Jin Xia Yuanji, had a fierce quarrel.
Emperor Yongle, who was sitting on the dragon throne, looked at the noisy courtiers with a sinking face and said nothing, as if he was staying out of the incident.
No one knew what he was thinking.
At this time, a censor with a three-strand long beard came out of the squad and said: "I have something to say to your majesty."
Everyone became quieter, and when they took a closer look, they were a little surprised.
This man was dressed in Qingpaoxi imperial uniform and wore a Xie Zhi crown. He looked like a seventh-grade junior censor.
The ministers were all a little surprised, and their eyes were very contemptuous.
Didn’t you see that this was the battlefield for big figures like Shangshu Guogong?
You are a mere seventh-grade censor, why are you joining in the fun here?
Who is this person?
None of the ministers knew him.
Emperor Yongle didn't know him either.
But he was the emperor after all, so Zhu Di still showed his attitude of being obedient to his advice.
"What's the matter, sir? It's okay to just tell me!"
Censor Zhou Xin met the eyes of the civil and military officials of the court and spoke directly.
"May I ask His Majesty the Emperor, do you want to imitate Li Tang's old deeds?"
